He’s Outta Here: C Jeff Mathis, RHP Joel Pineiro, RHP Tyler Chatwood, INF Russell Branyan, OF Reggie Willits.
Going campin’: The Angels begin a season of sky-high expectations with the arrival of Pujols, the three-time NL MVP coming off his second World Series title with St. Louis. The Angels’ $240-million man will arrive at camp a week early to integrate himself into a lineup that often sputtered last season. He’s joined by Orange County native Wilson, who spurned the AL West rival Rangers to join a stellar rotation alongside Jered Weaver, Dan Haren and Ervin Santana. Perhaps the player with the most spring work to do is Iannetta, acquired from Colorado to run the pitching staff while hopefully providing more offense than the trio of punchless hitters who held the job last year. While Pujols settles in, the Angels must figure out what to do with fellow first basemen Mark Trumbo, who led the club in homers and RBIs as a rookie last season, and Kendrys Morales, who’s cautiously optimistic he’ll return this spring from nearly two years away with a broken left ankle. Trumbo, who’s also coming back from surgery, and Morales might work on learning new positions in spring. Aside from the additions, much of last season’s lineup returns intact after GM Jerry Dipoto swiftly re-signed several arbitration-eligible players. Even with several big decisions to make in the spring, Scioscia believes Los Angeles has all the pieces necessary to get back to the postseason after a two-year absence.